Cambodia Gives Land Stolen a Decade Ago Back to Indigenous People

In a win for indigenous rights, the Cambodian government has returned land that was stolen by a Vietnamese rubber company back to its rightful indigenous owners.

The land–which included chunks of wetlands, forests, and sacred burial sites–was in the northeastern province of Ratanakari.

The return of the lands marks a shift by the Cambodian government in recognizing the land rights of the many indigenous communities in the country.

In the last two decades, Cambodia had opened up its lands–many of which belonged to indigenous groups–to foreign companies in an attempt to spur economic growth.

According to indigenous right’s groups, the government of Cambodia has given more than 10% of its land to foreign companies for mining, farming, and other industrial purposes.

An estimated 770,000 people have been displaced in the huge land redistribution to foreign companies.

According to Thailand property lawyers, a prominent case against a Thai sugar company made headlines in Cambodia last year after farmers in the nation complained that they were booted from their lands.